The Year in Review

As we approach the New Year, I want to express my gratitude for your unwavering support of Project Healing Waters. I’m excited to share some highlights of the past year with you below. Thank you for generously lending your time and treasure to ensure that our mission to guide the healing journey for our Veterans and military service members continues. Thanks to you, we continue to bring our unique approach to healing to more Veterans in need. As we reflect on all that we have accomplished in 2022, we are reminded that none of it could have been done without you. On behalf of my staff, our amazing volunteers, and our participants whom we humbly serve – thank you. I wish all of you safe and Happy Holidays, believing in the hope and promise of the New Year; may it find all of us, who are part of the Project Healing Waters family, continuing to heal those who serve. John Langford Chief Executive Officer Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc ®

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The Highlights

Our Favorite Videos of 2022 Each year we are amazed at the number of videos that beautifully highlight stories born from our unique brand of healing. This past year was no different and we are honored to share just a few of our favorite videos from 2022 with you below. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

John Langford Named CEO at Project Healing Waters Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) is delighted to announce that it has named John Langford as its new Chief Executive Officer. Langford started in his position on September 19, 2022. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Henry Winkler Champions Project Healing Waters in New PSA You heard right, that Henry Winkler. We are honored to have this true American icon as a part of our Project Healing Waters family. We are delighted to share a new Public Service Announcement video featuring Henry Winkler with you below. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

A Homecoming: The 13th Annual Mossy Creek Invitational The 13th Annual Mossy Creek Invitational felt like a homecoming. Old friends and new gathered to embrace and celebrate the veterans we serve. It was a weekend of memories, celebration, and patriotism, and one not soon to be forgotten. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Virginia Veterans Pursue Wild Trout in Shenandoah NP With the support and collaboration of the National Park Foundation and personnel at Shenandoah National Park, we held two fishing events in April called Wild Trout Trips where small groups of PHWFF Anglers and their Volunteer Guides learned... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Leadership and Dedication: Celebrating Brian Trow We are eternally grateful for his dedication, compassion, leadership and devotion to the deserving servicemen and women that have healed through their participation in an organization that Brian shaped and led. His commitment to future MCI's is... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

RICHARD NEEDS TO BE HERE TOO Richard is a perfect example that many of our wounds are not visible. My prayer for him is that he finds the help he needs in time, uses the peace and the distraction we offer him through fishing events and is able to come out the other side the... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Freedom Ranch for Heroes PHW Veterans enjoyed another fantastic season at Freedom Ranch for Heroes in 2022. Read about the trips, people and community who made it so special for them in a series of stories highlighting this amazing place. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Forging Ahead: A Veterans Day Story - Trout Unlimited SALEM, Va. - The guide, like any experienced guide, was helpful but firm. "Try to cast to that seam," she said. "And mend a little sooner." Seyward McKinney reacted with a barely audible, "OK." She was too busy concentrating to waste effort... Read more www.tu.org

Dispatches from Atz Vietnam Veteran Atz Kilcher published weekly ‘Dispatches from Atz’ in 2022 to highlight his experiences and to share the special healing and camaraderie borne from the Project Healing Waters program and Freedom Ranch community. Read them all here. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Healing Full Circle - Catch Magazine The Fall River fishery is a hidden gem located about 5 hours northeast of San Francisco, in Northern California's intermountain region. Nestled between the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountain ranges, one can be immersed in the majestic views of... Read more catchmagazine.net

The Competitions

Meet the Winners: The 10th Annual Fly Tying Competition We are pleased to announce the winners of the 10th Annual Project Healing Waters National Fly Tying Competition! Following an exciting Public Judging Round (during which over 1,200 votes were cast!), six finalists in each category proceeded to... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Meet the Winners: Category 1 Beginner Fly Rods We are pleased to announce the winners of Category 1 (Beginner) of the 14th Annual PHW Fly Rod Building Competition! Following an exciting Public Judging Round (during which over 1,000 votes were cast!), six finalists proceeded to the Finals... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Meet the Winners: Category 2 Intermediate Fly Rods We are pleased to announce the winners of Category 2 (Intermediate) of the 14th Annual PHW Fly Rod Building Competition! Following an exciting Public Judging Round (during which over 400 votes were cast!), six finalists proceeded to the Finals... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Meet the Winners: Category 3 Advanced Fly Rods We are pleased to announce the winners of Category 3 (Advanced) of the 14th Annual PHW Fly Rod Building Competition! Following an exciting Public Judging Round (during which over 300 votes were cast!), six finalists proceeded to the Finals Round... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Meet the Winners: Category 4 Veteran Ambassador Fly Rods We are pleased to announce the winners of Category 4 (Veteran Ambassadors) of the 14th Annual PHW Fly Rod Building Competition! Read more projecthealingwaters.org

The 3rd Annual PHW Fly Casting Competition was a Success! This years PHW National Fly Casting Competition was the third time this annual competition had been completed. The purpose of this program and competition is to improve the fly casting skills of our disabled veteran participants through... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

The Stories

Veterans Enjoy Tenth Annual Trip to Tangle Lakes Jan Schnorr, Alaska Regional Coordinator On June 23rd, disabled veteran participants and volunteers from Anchorage and Wasilla headed to Tangle Lakes, Alaska - only 290 miles from Anchorage. The 5 to 6 hour drive is long but spectacular with... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Serving Those Who Have Served Our Great Nation In June 1974, I naively entered the U.S. Military, but with a feeling of invincibility and an enormous zeal to serve our great nation. And exactly 48 years later, I was privileged to assist others who had signed on with Uncle Sam's military as... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PHWFF Bay Pines Heads to Tennessee for Inaugural... The Bay Pines, Florida Program of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. held their first ever overnight outing for their program from February 7-10. The group traveled from St. Petersburg, Florida to the South Holston River Lodge in Bristol,... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PHWFF Atlanta Enjoys Unforgettable Angling at... On March 19, 2022, thirteen participants from the Atlanta Program were treated to a truly unforgettable day of angling at Mountaintown Trout, a private fly fishing venue located in the mountains of North Georgia. Weather and water conditions were ... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

The Bamboo Bend Experience is a wrap I had one of the most incredible experiences of my fly fishing journey a couple of weeks ago as I hosted eight veteran participants at Bamboo Bend in Lovells, MI. Bamboo Bend is a NFP whose mission is Mending the Spirit, an immersive 8-day hands... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Harman's Luxury Cabins Hosts 10th Annual PHW Fly Fest Harman's Fly Fest gathered for its 10th year the first weekend of December in Cabins, West Virginia. Doctor Mike Cherwek started Harman's Fly Fest as an event for the Ft. Belvoir and Quantico Programs. However, the event has grown to include... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PHW Volunteers Partner with TAPS at the National Mall Volunteers from the DC Program of Project Healing Waters partnered with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), National Capital Chapter - Trout Unlimited (NCC-TU), the National Park Trust, Amazon Web Services, DC Department of... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Veterans Find Fellowship on Grand Lake Stream For three nights and two full days of fishing, 8 veterans from across Maine, Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts visited the North Maine Woods to fish the historic waters of Grand Lake Stream. Grand Lake stream is located approximately 70... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Great Garden State Get Together! The Northeast New Jersey program of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing had a very successful outing and memorable day at the Pequest Pond on August 24. The Pequest Trout Hatchery produces close to 700,000 trout annually for stocking in the public ... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Marabou Madness Returns to North Carolina The annual Marabou Madness event returned to the North Carolina region of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing after a two-year suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifty-five veterans from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PHWFF Pennsylvania Holds 2-Fly Competition Many thanks to Daniel Miller, Harrisburg-East APL and PHWFF Ambassador for providing a summary of this year's Pennsylvania 2 Fly event. On April 30th and May 1st 2022, the Pennsylvania region of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing welcomed the... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PA Participants Enjoy a Long Weekend in Bedford County Twelve anglers from five Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing programs across PA recently met in in beautiful Bedford County for a weekend of fishing two local streams. This was the fourth time this event has been held, and it is always a favorite... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Learning new fly tying skills with PHWFF Rapid City, SD On March 29, 2022 the Rapid City, SD program of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing gathered for their regular meeting at the The Outdoor Campus West of the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Women Forge Friendships on the Fall River By: Lorina Walker The first morning of the annual PHWFF Fall River trip came early and the air was quite chilly. The fall season was well underway casting reflections of all its colorful splendor on the mirrored water. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PHWFF Martinez Veterans Visit the Serene Waters of Baum Lake By Brian Miller here's no wind to ripple the water, the fish can see you coming from Cassel. They might not be interested in your flies no matter how skilled you are. But it was a clear, sunny, and windless day on a tiny lake ... and that is... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PHWFF Martinez Veterans Battle Steelhead on the Klamath... On January 3-6, PHWFF volunteer Gerry Ng led a group of Martinez veterans for a steelhead outing on the Klamath River. Joining him were Nick Beyer, Martin Coulson, and Fred Patton. They were guided for two days of fly fishing by guides Brandon... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

13th Annual Caney Fork Outing The weather forecast for 13th Annual Caney Fork, Tennessee outing looked like thunderstorms, but regardless of the weather we were looking forward to our first big outing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Friday approached, the sun was ... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

The 6th Annual Legends of the Fly Tournament The Legends Of the Fly Tournament celebrates all things fly fishing in the Tidewater Virginia area and the sixth annual occurrence this past October 15th was no exception. They came from as far away as Long Beach California to fish the slam... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PHWFF WV Holds First Thornwood Event Since 2019 The PHWFF West Virginia region held its first annual Thornwood event since 2019, and the first one post-pandemic. It felt just like home being back at Thornwood 4-H Camp in Pocahontas County, and to celebrate, we had our biggest event ever! Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PHWFF Roanoke Reignites Annual Ladies' Weekend Over the weekend of October 11, the Roanoke/New River Valley program of PHWFF held their first overnight outing since the beginning of Covid-19, and this one was for the ladies only. The women participants enjoyed two days and nights at the... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

PHWFF WV Region Holds Successful Eric Workman Memorial... On October 23rd and 24th, 2021, the West Virginia region of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. (PHWFF) held its first ever Eric Workman Memorial Musky Tournament. The Eric Workman Memorial Musky Tournament was started in 2013 by the family... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

READ MORE: The 2022 PHW Regional Event Blog Each year we are amazed at the number of powerful stories that highlight our participants, volunteers, programs and supporters. You'll find many more on our Regional Events Blog Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Photo Spotlight

We often see discussions on the struggles that veterans face after returning from service, but what we don’t see is enough conversation on the growth and resilience that they also are capable of. Thousands of veterans have found and will continue to find the healing power of nature and fly fishing through our programs. While our programs are known for introducing fly fishing to our service members, we also encourage and see tremendous bonding and community building through our programs.

Get Involved in 2023

Sponsor Healing and Recovery Help Project Healing Waters provide no-cost services to Veterans. Your donation enables Project Healing Waters to expand the reach of its fly fishing programs for Veterans across the U.S. "Truly, the waters can heal a lost soul." In their service ... Read more projecthealingwaters.networ...

Find a Program Are you looking for the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) program nearest you? Find your state below to find your local region and click through to latest events, news and contact info. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Learn to Fly Fish Welcome, you may be thinking, "I'm a disabled Veteran, how do I get involved with Project Healing Waters?". It's easy. Just follow these steps... Read more projecthealingwaters.org

Get Involved There are several ways you can get involved with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing listed below. You can join our programs, become a volunteer, make a donation, start a program and more! Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. Read more projecthealingwaters.org

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